


Five Different Birthdays

by Phelpsgirlxxx



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Birthdays, Cake, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Camp Jupiter (Percy Jackson), Drinking, F/F, F/M, Grief, Homeless Nico, Homelessness, Hurt, Hurt Nico, Loneliness, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of underage drinking, Non-Explicit Sex, Presents, Stealing, Surprises, rough sleeping, solangelo, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phelpsgirlxxx/pseuds/Phelpsgirlxxx
Summary: Five different birthdays taking place over the years.Better than summary.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Piper Mclean/Shel
Comments: 3
Kudos: 74





	Five Different Birthdays

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Nico di Angelo!
> 
> I actually wrote this in more than a day, most fics I write that are a single chapter or a oneshot are written in a day but this wasn't. I don't even know if it's good for the amount of work I put in.
> 
> I was going to add more tags but I don't want the ending to be ruined soooo... yeah.
> 
> Might add another chapter to this, but make it as a sort of separate oneshot as I couldn't work out how to fit it in, it's to do with Hazel. Let me know if you'd be interested.

ONE.

It wasn’t until mid march that Minos finally told the boy how to get into the underworld.

He wished he’d known earlier, there was so much he wanted to ask Hades, but Minos insisted he had to learn to shadow travel first. He had to learn to control his powers or else he’d be overwhelmed in the Underworld.

Nico’s impatience had nearly overwhelmed him, but the threat of Minos disappearing and not seeing Bianca again was enough to curb it. He’d have to wait to go to the Underworld, he knew that, but inside he was seething. He wanted his Father to answer his questions. 

Why did he get put into the Lotus Casino? One of the boys from the Hermes cabin had said time passed differently in there, at least according to Percy Jackson’s tales.

Who was his Mother? 

Why couldn’t he remember her?

Who had removed them from the hotel and taken them to Westover Hall?

Why had he been removed from the hotel?

So many unanswered questions he wanted the answer for, if only the God of the Underworld would answer them.

The March morning where Nico slipped into the underworld, Minos had insisted he couldn’t come with him. He’d also instructed the boy not to let his Father know they were working together, Hades would never allow them to raise Bianca, it went against the rules of the God’s domain. If he kept quiet though, they could continue working to bring Bianca back which Nico wanted more than anything he’d ever wanted before. He just wanted to be loved. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Hades had been reluctant to answer any of Nico’s questions.

“Please Father, please just tell me anything. Anything.” Nico pleaded.

The god barely spared him a glance, and the brief look he offered was of disdain and disgust, as if Nico were not worth his time. This didn’t exactly surprise the boy. He knew most people looked at him that way, most people refused to even look in his direction on the best of days. The disdain hurt, and he couldn’t help but wish he was normal, a normal kid with two parents that loved him, that wanted him around, that he wouldn’t have to prove his worth to.

“Please.” Nico begged again, his voice cracking slightly, making him curse himself. He didn’t want to show the god how desperate he was, but he was desperate, so desperate. He just wanted to know something about his past.

Across the room Persephone sighed where she sat, lounging in her throne. In one week she would be leaving the Underworld for the summer, and she wouldn’t have to put up with any demigod’s whines as they made their way into the underworld. 

“Hades, just tell him something so he’ll leave.” She muttered after a few minutes of whining from the small child.

Persephone, although she would never tell anyone, felt for the kid. He was lost in a world he didn’t understand, and he was young and alone. Of course he’d want to know something about his past. She imagined she’d be the same in a similar situation, not that it would ever be one she found herself in.

“Fine.” Hades reluctantly drawled before he looked down at the child who had been bothering him.

Hades could never truly refuse his wife anything.

“You were born in Venice on January 28th 1932. You came to Washington DC when you were eight or nine.”

Nico stared up at the god expectantly, but once it became obvious the god would reveal nothing more, he bowed his head respectfully. He didn’t want to get smited, no matter how much he wanted information.

“Thank you Father.”

The god of the underworld glared at him, and Nico fled the throne room, and hurriedly made his way through the fields of Asphodel and out of the Underworld, head bowed.

Finally, one he was out in the cold air, he pulled his coat tighter around himself trying to gather his bearings. He knew Minos wouldn’t return until nightfall, so until then he was alone, which for once, he was happy with. He needed at least some time to think, to prepare, to process. 

It took him a few minutes to work out where he was, and once he did, he slipped into the closest entrance to the Labyrinth, walking as far in as he dared while alone, and flopped down into an enclosed corner.

He was born on January 28th.

He’d never really considered when his birthday could be, other questions held more weight, but knowing it was nice.

He was eleven years old.

He had turned eleven and he hadn’t even noticed.

Nico tried to cast his mind back to January 28th, but the January days had blurred into each other, a haze of mourning, grief, desperation and loneliness. There was no way he could identify the singular day, all he knew was that it was before he’d agreed to work with Minos. That had come in Feburary.

With a sigh, Nico ran a hand through his matted, dirty hair. There was no point dwelling on January 28th, it was just another day, it would never be special to him anyway. It didn’t matter if it was his birthday or not, he would always be alone.

He sighed again, before he cast his mind to other matters.

Venice.

He had a starting point.

TWO.

Nico huddled into a corner under the bridge he’d found himself collapsed under after overdoing his shadow travel.

He had no idea where he was, but judging by how quiet the surroundings were, it wasn’t a city. It was America though, he was sure of that.

The night was freezing, and the son of Hades tried to bury himself into his jacket. He quickly rummaged through his pockets desperate to see if he had any money, and with a sigh he withdrew his hand with no mortal money, and only a single drachma.

He flipped the coin between his fingers and sighed.

Even if he had a spray of water, which he wasn’t sure he’d manage at all, there was no one he wanted to contact. Who would ever want to hear from him?

Casting his eyes around, and seeing no one, and only hearing the few cars on the bridge above him, he stuffed a dirty fist into his mouth, and bit down on it, as tears slowly started making their way down his cheeks.

He was twelve years old now.

It was his twelfth birthday, and he was spending it hiding under a cold, dark bridge. He had no money for food, and nothing to keep him warm. 

All he wanted was a home, a home where he could be loved and appreciated, where people would not be scared of him, even if they knew who his Father was. He wanted a bed, or at least a blanket and some reassurance. He wanted attention.

The last time he’d spoken to anyone was six weeks prior in the Underworld when he, Thalia and Percy had to save Hades’ sword. He was sure if he ever tried to talk, his voice would crack, and not just because of his intense levels of dehydration. His throat was becoming unused to speaking aloud, as was Nico himself. What was the point of even speaking if no one wanted to hear what he said anyway?

As Nico’s thoughts flurried, a harsh sob ripped its way from his chest, and Nico bit down on his hand harder, not caring about the pain. He deserved the pain, he knew that. He hated himself, and everyone else hated him too. His Father had admitted he’d have preferred if Nico had died instead of Bianca, as if Nico didn’t feel the same. He’d offer his life for Bianca’s without a second thought.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but eventually he unfurled himself and stood, shaking his cold limbs to try and regain feeling in them.

The bridge was quiet, on top and underneath, and Nico knew he wasn’t likely to find a better place to sleep for the night, but he had to find at least a drink, he’d get sick if he allowed himself to not drink anything for too long.

Taking a deep breath, Nico disappeared into the shadows, reappearing in a closed big name retailer. He wandered through the aisles, stopping to grab a bag of chips and a bottle of water before he paused. 

Maybe she’d make an exception.

It was his birthday, maybe she’d speak to him.

Determination had started running through his veins, and a sense of hopefulness that he immediately tried to quash, but he couldn’t help it. 

The idea that she might answer his summons was too much, he couldn’t help but hope.

Nico rushed behind the counter, grabbing a paper bag before rushing to the drinks aisle and grabbing a multipack of Root Beer, before grabbing bags of jerky from near the counter. After shoving them in the bag, he placed his bottle of water and bag of doritos on top, and disappeared from the store.

He would have felt guilty about taking from the store, but it was a multi-million dollar company, if not more, and his antics would make no difference in the grandscheme of things. He tried to not steal anything if he could, but if he had to, it wouldn’t be from small businesses, he didn’t want anyone to suffer for his actions.

Reappearing under the bridge, Nico moved off to a side, and began digging a trench in the dirt with his hands. He debated raising skeletons to try and help with the digging process, but his lack of food and drink made him tired, and he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to summon skeletons after shadow travelling three times, especially if he wanted to see Bianca.

No, he would have to do it alone.

Once the hole was deep enough, be poured the root beer into it, before shoving handfuls of jerky in too, as he began chanting in Ancient Greek.

As his chant finished, and he called for his sister, ghostly figures emerged, and he cast them aside, waiting for Bianca to appear.

He waited a few minutes, his chanting starting again as he called for his sister to appear, but she didn’t appear, and he was beginning to tire.

Finally, he knew she wouldn’t come, and he collapsed to his knees as tears once again started streaming down his cheeks. His sister didn’t want to see him, even on his birthday. He knew he shouldn’t really put stock into it, he shouldn’t have had any hope, but he hadn’t been able to help it.

He was just desperate to not feel alone.

The only time he’d tried to speak to anyone in six weeks, and he’d failed.

Nico sighed, tugging his hand through his hair, not caring that more dirt streaked through it as his actions, before he began to fill the hole once more. Once it was full, he grabbed the wrappers and walked to the bridge, shoving them in the bin before he slipped down under the bridge once more.

He looked at his chips for a moment, before he slipped them into his jacket. His appetite was long gone. He sat against the wall for a moment, before taking deep swings of the water before he curled into a ball, tears still streaming down his face, the bottle clenched to his chest.

Nico closed his eyes, curling tighter on himself, trying to brace himself against the cold January night air, before he slipped off to sleep.

THREE

Thirteen years old.

Given everything that had happened the previous summer, he hadn’t been entirely sure he would make it to thirteen, and he wasn’t exactly pleased that he had.

Sure, he had a sister now, Hazel, and she was great, but she’d easily made friends at Camp Jupiter, and once again, he felt alone.

Hazel always greeted him warmly whenever they met, but sometimes he knew she didn’t really want him around. He was sure of that. Sometimes she looked at him, and he could tell she wished he was someone else, wished he was different, wished he was more open. He couldn’t be that. He tried so hard to open up to her, to help her settle in the twenty-first century, but opening up about his past was hard.

He couldn’t do it.

He wanted to do it so badly, he wanted someone he felt as if he could confide in, but he was scared. What if he told Hazel about all the things he’d done and she didn’t want to know him anymore? What if she knew the true him and was disgusted by him as he often was about himself? What if she cast him aside and never wanted to speak to him again?

It wasn’t worth the risk.

He didn’t want to be fully alone anymore.

On January 28th he milled around Camp Jupiter for a little bit, hoping to see his sister, but she was busy. She had training to do, and he didn’t dare ask Reyna if he’d excuse his sister for the day, he’d feel pathetic doing that.

Instead, he wandered through the woods around the camp, thinking to himself. 

He knew something was on the horizon, he could feel it, but he wasn’t entirely sure what, although he knew Hazel would play a crucial role. Once she left, he’d be alone again, although he wasn’t entirely sure when that would be.

Finally, after hours of walking, Nico sat down against a tree, his eyes slipping closed. He wasn’t entirely sure what time of day it was, but he was exhausted, and that was all that mattered. There’d be a chance Hazel was done with her tasks and he could have joined her for dinner, but the fifth cohort didn’t trust him, he made them uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to attend.

Instead, he brought his knees to his chest, resting his head on them softly, and drifted off to sleep, the cold not unbearable in California.

“Nico.”

Nico mumbled out a response, hoping whatever was trying to bother him would disappear. It clearly wasn’t a monster of it would have already attacked, so he couldn’t be in too much danger, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

All he found himself wanting to do as of late was sleep. All he wanted to do was curl into a ball and be left alone.

“Nico.” The voice repeated, a slight stern undertone lacing the words.

Nico groaned slightly, before he unfurled himself. He rubbed at his eyes exhaustedly before he looked at the dark figure looming over him. 

Once he’d focussed enough, he leapt to his feet.

“Father.”

The god stared at him for a moment, running his eyes over the boy, before he dismissed whatever he had intended to say.

“Father?”

The god looked slightly awkward, a state his son had never expected to find him in, before he turned his back to Nico.

“I have a gift for you.” The god reluctantly admitted.

Nico’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“A gift?” He asked, sceptical.

“Yes.”

The god of the underworld turned back to him, before he waved a hand and a zombie appeared, grunting slightly as he stood by the god’s side.

“This is Jules-Albert, he finished first in the Paris-Rouen motorcar race back in 1895, he wasn’t awarded the prize however as his steam car used a stoker.”

Nico blinked absently at his Father.

“What?” 

“As I understand it, modern teenagers have their parents drive them places. I thought Jules-Albert might be able to help.”

Nico stared at his Father for a second.

“Thank you.” He finally said.

“Yes, well, happy birthday Nico.”

“Thank you.” He whispered.

With a nod, the god of the underworld disappeared, and Nico sighed, dismissing the zombie with a wave of his hand for the time being. He didn’t have a car, even if he wanted one, though he guessed he could technically get one if he needed to. For now though, all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep.

So that’s what he did.

FOUR

Will smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he knocked on the door to the Hades cabin.

It was still rather early, but as the sun was up, Will decided it wasn’t too early, and even though he wanted Nico to have a great day, he couldn’t help his own excitement and felt as if he had restrained himself long enough.

As there was no response from inside the cabin, Will knocked again, and finally he heard Nico’s sleepy voice echo from inside.

“Who is it?”

“Will. Can I come in sunshine?”

He heard slight grumbling from inside for a moment before he got a response.

“Sure.”

Will beamed as he entered the cabin and saw his boyfriend bundled up blankets on his bed, his hair sticking up all over the place, and his eyes slightly red from sleep.

“Hi sweetheart.”

Nico smiled softly, and lifted the corner of the duvet, offering Will a place in the bed. 

Will immediately grinned, kicking off his shoes, and sliding into the den of blankets Nico slept with. The son of Hades ran rather cold, so even with the magical barrier protecting the camp from the cold of New York, he still felt freezing and had to bundle himself under blankets to sleep most of the year, excluding midsummer.

“Hi Will.”

“Can I give you a kiss?” Will asked as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

Nico mumbled for a second, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Will made him happier than he had ever been, and he always checked to make sure Nico was comfortable before doing anything, even hand holding.

“Please.” Nico finally muttered, turning to look at his boyfriend through his lashes.

Will’s face lit up, and he gently leant down, pressing his soft lips to Nico’s slightly chapped ones. Nico kissed back for a few seconds before Will pulled back, and ran his fingers gently through Nico’s soft, silky hair.

“Happy birthday Nico.”

Nico pulled away from Will’s hand slightly and stared in shock at his boyfriend. He’d never told the son of Apollo that his birthday was coming up. All the birthdays he could remember, excluding the brief visit from his father the year before, he had been alone. He’d expected at least he’d spend a normal day with Will and his siblings as he usually did, and it would be miles better than any of his birthdays before.

“What?” Will finally asked, breaking the silence.

“How- how did you know?” 

“When I did your medical files when you spent those days in the infirmary you told me. I wasn’t going to forget!”

Nico blushed violently, making Will coo at his boyfriend gently.

“Thanks Will.” He finally murmured.

“You’re welcome, but you have to get up soon, we have a whole day planned!”

“What?”

“Well, we’re having breakfast with Austin and Kayla, and then I got permission from Chiron for us to go into the city. I have a plan.”

Nico blushed violently once more.

“You don’t have to do all that. I’d have been happy spending the day at camp doing what we usually do.” Nico admitted as he rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, turning to look at him through his eyelashes once again.

“I know that sunshine, but I wanted today to be special. So we have plans.”

Nico smiled at his boyfriend.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Looking for permission and finding it, Will pressed another soft kiss to Nico’s lips before pulling back and smiling at his boyfriend brightly.

“Why don’t you go and shower, and then we can head off to breakfast?”

“Sure.”

Nico slipped off the bed, and Will pouted playfully as he was left alone and the son of Hades slipped into the bathroom after grabbing some clothes from his wardrobe.

Will sighed, slipping off the bed and making it, saving Nico a job when he returned to the main part of the cabin. Nico always made his bed, he took great pride in doing so, and Will knew it was because he relished the fact he had a soft bed with blankets for himself after so long living on the streets. 

Will himself rarely made his bed unless it was the morning of cabin inspections, and even then it tended to be rushed at best.

But knowing how much Nico loved having a neat bed, he took care to do it for him as an extra treat for his birthday. When he finished, he stood and sat in one of the chairs by Nico’s desk, not wanting to crumple the bed by sitting back on it after all his hardwork.

When Nico returned to the room, he smiled at his bed, before he turned to Will.

“Thanks Will.” He said with a true smile before he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek as he carefully placed his pyjamas into his washing basket.

Nico’s room was always merticulously clean, and he took pride in that, so he cast his eyes around the room again, and once he was sure it was fine, he turned back to Will.

“Ready for breakfast?”

“Sure.”

With Nico’s permission, Will carefully took his boyfriend’s hand into his own, and the two rushed off towards breakfast together.

Although Nico was definitely getting better and more comfortable with himself while living at camp, he still wasn’t entirely keen on the term boyfriend, although he was seemingly warming up to it. Will didn’t refer to himself as Nico’s boyfriend out loud however, he wouldn’t do that until Nico was entirely okay with it.

Arriving at breakfast, the two quickly grabbed food before sacrificing some to their parents. Will sent a silent extra prayer for Apollo as no one had heard anything from the god since the end of the war, and he just hoped his dad was okay.

“Happy birthday Nico!” Austin cried as the two sat down at the Apollo table, making Nico blush violently.

Will had to restrain himself from cooing over his partner. He was so cute when he blushed.

“Thanks Austin, but ssh.”

“Yeah happy birthday Nico, here.” Kayla said, passing over a stack of cards to the boy.

Nico frowned.

“What are these?”

“Cards?” Kayla said, confusion swarming across her face.

Will shared a quick look with Austin, and Austin elbowed his sister in the side.

“Thanks.” Nico muttered before he grabbed the stack from Kayla.

The son of Hades quickly looked at Will, who offered him a reassuring nod, so the boy would begin opening the cards.

The first one was one of the usual ones campers received from Chiron and Mr D if they were at camp for their birthday, although Will wasn’t entirely sure Mr D was aware his name was on the cards at all. The front had a picture of one of the pegasi wearing a photoshopped party hat. Nico smiled softly at it.

Will had been the one to tell the two heads of the camp as once Nico had made no mention of his own birthday, he wasn’t entirely sure if they knew. He’d assumed right, and they hadn’t.

Next he opened one from Kayla which had a rainbow background and a white cloud with the number fourteen printed on top of it. 

“Thanks Kayla.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Open the one in the purple envelope next, that one’s from me.” Austin said with a grin.

Nico did as he was told and opened the card, and smiled as he saw the cartoon ghost drawn on the front with the words Happy Boo-thday printed around it.

“Thanks Austin.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“Good, I made it in arts and crafts for you.”

The final card was from Will, and it was a special mythomagic card he’d found online and had delivered to a nearby shop for Nico.

“I love it, thanks Will.”

“Thought you’d like it señor mythomagic. Now eat your breakfast, Argus will take us into the city soon.”

Nico nodded, leaning down and quickly eating his food before leaning slightly into Will’s side after making sure no one was really looking at them.

“Ready to go soon sweetheart?” Will asked, staring at Nico softly.

“Yeah.”

“Perfect. Shall we go pop your cards away and then go?”

“Sure. See you two later.” Nico said with a smile to Kayla and Austin.

“Sure, see you at tea.” Austin said before sharing a quick grin with Kayla who nodded at her brother reassuringly.

Once they’d placed Nico’s cards carefully upright on his bedside table, the two made their way to the top of Half-Blood hill where Argus was waiting for them in the camp car. The two young demigods slipped into the backseat, and Will wrapped an arm around Nico.

“So what’s the plan?” 

“Well, judging by the fact you hadn’t really mentioned your birthday, I wasn’t expecting you’d done much before, at least not that you can remember.” Will carefully said.

Nico turned to stare out of the window for a few moments as they sped down the road, getting further and further from camp.

“I haven’t.” He finally admitted.

“Well, I thought we could try and do a few things today to make your birthday really special.”

“Like what?”

“Well, we’ll start by ice skating.”

Nico frowned for a moment.

“Is that okay?” Will asked tentatively.

“Yeah, it sounds great, I just… I don’t know, for some reason I felt as if a memory was trying to come to me, but… nothing.”

“It’s okay sweetheart. We can try ice skating, and if you’re uncomfortable when we get there then we can stop.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Nico reassured him.

“I know sunshine, but if not I won’t mind.” Will said before pressing a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.

Nico blushed.

“So ice skating.”

“Yes! Ice skating, and then I thought we’d get hot chocolates, or some sort of hot drink to warm up.”

“Sounds good.”

“Then bowling. It’s a classic birthday game, and I thought it’d be fun to try. Plus we can get icees and snacks while we’re there.”

Nico turned to look at his boyfriend for a second before he dropped a soft kiss to Will’s lips.

“Thank you for being so great.” He murmured to Will, aware that Argus could hear their conversation.

“You deserve it.”

Nico blushed violently and dropped his head down onto Will’s shoulder and snuggled into his side, comfortable with offering the boy some affection as Argus’ eyes were fixed on the road ahead.

“Thank you anyway.”

Will grinned.

“Then tonight, I arranged a movie night in the Apollo cabin. Cecil and Connor from Hermes are coming too. Valentina and Miranda said they’ll probably come too. We didn’t tell them it was your birthday thought, just in case you were uncomfortable with it.”

“Thanks Will.”

Will just pressed a soft kiss to Nico’s cheek before the conversation turned to different topics.

When they arrived in the city, it was quarter to eleven, and they promised to meet Argus back there at one so he could take them to where Will had booked for them to go bowling.

The ice rink was practically empty by the time they arrived, only one or two skaters milled around on the ice, so they had a lot of room to themselves. Will had paid for the skate rental, although Nico had argued with him about it, but the son of Apollo had won. 

As they got on the ice, the nerves Nico had expected didn’t come, and he carefully began skating. Immediately once he began, he felt at ease, comfortable, and although Nico couldn’t remember it, he was sure he must have skated before.

He immediately began circling the rink on his skates, lapping Will twice, before he slowed to stand next to the son of Apollo.

“Nico! You’re so good.”

Nico blushed.

“I must have done it before… I don’t know. It’s freeing.”

Will smiled at his boyfriend brightly. The cold had caused Nico’s cheeks to flush, and the slight breeze had made his hair slightly unruly. His eyes were bright however, and he looked extremely pleased with himself. He looked so comfortable on the ice, and the elegance he skated with was beautiful.

More than anything Will wanted to kiss his boyfriend, but he knew Nico wouldn’t be comfortable with that in public, so he decided to save it for later.

“You looked so good, death boy.”

A fake scowl crossed Nico’s face.

“Yeah, yeah. Want to race?”

Will knew Nico would win, he had no doubt about it, but the level of excitement Nico was radiating was something Will had never truly seen in his boyfriend before, and more than anything he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Of course!”

After picking a point and the amount of laps they’d have to do, they began, and Nico won by a landslide, and even with the gentle teasing Will endured because of his defeat, he had no regrets. He’d go ice skating everyday for the rest of his life with Nico if his boyfriend had asked that of him. He’d do anything for the son of Hades.

As they finally came off the ice at half twelve, the two rushed to a nearby coffee shop to grab drinks to warm up.

Nico, who’s hands were always like ice, was shivering heavily, but the clear smile on his face eased any of Will’s worries immediately.

They both ended up getting hot chocolates to go, and headed out of the coffee shop together, chatting animatedly.

“Nico? Will?”

The two’s conversation broke up immediately, as they heard their names, and they scanned the street until they saw a beaming Percy, and a slightly amused looking Annabeth heading towards them.

“Hey guys.” Will called back, while Nico waved slightly.

“What are you guys doing in the city?” Percy enquired.

Annabeth shook her head slightly bemused at her boyfriend’s actions.

“I’m taking Death Boy out for his birthday.” Will said with a big grin.

Percy and Annabeth turned to gape at the son of Hades, who ducked his head slightly, taking a sip of his drink to avoid saying anything.

“I didn’t know it was your birthday!” Percy exclaimed.

“Happy birthday Nico.” Annabeth told the boy softly.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah happy birthday.” Percy added.

Will looked confused for a second.

“Didn’t they know your birthday? I thought Percy was the one who brought you to camp, normally you have to give some information when you first join.” Will said softly, before he remembered how Mr D and Chiron hadn’t known it was the son of Hades’ birthday, meaning it was quite likely they’d never had that information.

“I didn’t know.” Percy said with a frown before turned to look at Nico questioningly.

Nico quickly took another drink, but with all three demigods looking at him he knew he wouldn’t get away with not answering.

“When I first came to camp, I didn’t know when my birthday was.” Nico admitted softly.

“What?” 

“I didn’t know when it was until a couple of months after my eleventh birthday.”

Annabeth and Percy shared a slightly sad look, and Will grabbed Nico’s hand and squeezed it lightly.

More than anything, Nico wanted to sink into the ground. While it was clear Will wasn’t pitying him, Annabeth and Percy were, and he didn’t want their pity. He’d been having the best birthday he’d ever had, and he wanted to return to just hanging out with Will by themselves.

“I’m sorry Nico.” Annabeth finally said, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Nico shrugged.

“It’s fine.”

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but luckily Will saved him.

“Argus is here Nico, we need to go if we don’t want to be late.”

Nico felt as if a weight had been lifted.

“Sorry guys, we’ve got to go.”

“No problem. See you guys soon?”

“Sure.”

After bidding goodbye to Percy and Annabeth, Will and Nico quickly slipped into the car, thanking Argus for picking them up before he began driving again.

“Nico, I’m really sorry. I didn’t even think.” Will began.

Nico turned to his boyfriend.

“It’s okay Will, you didn’t know.”

“I haven’t ruined this have I?”

“No! No of course not! I think this is the best day I’ve ever had, or at least one of them.”

Will stared at his boyfriend for a second, his eyes flickering down to Nico’s lips before back at his boyfriend’s eyes. Nico nodded slightly, and Will looked down at his lips once more before crashing their lips together, perhaps harder than he had originally intended, but it didn’t seem as if Nico minded, instead he kissed back with the same amount of fervour. 

After a minute or two they pulled back, gasping for breath, and Will was sure Nico’s blush must have matched his own.

“Was that okay?” Will asked.

“More than okay.”

Will grinned.

Once they arrived at the bowling palace, they quickly agreed to meet Argus there at half three, and the two demigods slipped inside.

Will insisted they had to buy snacks first, and Nico didn’t protest, deciding on a large icee for himself, as did Will, before they decided on shared nachos too. Will then protested that they needed red vines and some milk duds too. Nico hadn’t tried either of them before, and Will had been horrified by that discovery.

Once they had bought a sufficient supply of snacks, they swapped their shoes for bowling ones, and made their way to their assigned lane.

They ended up playing three games, and despite enjoying it, Nico didn’t manage to win any, Will had been surprisingly good at it, he hadn’t played a set where he’d got less than eight, which was sufficiently better than Nico.

Despite losing horrendously, he’d enjoyed it, and by the time they’d finished their snacks and all the games were complete, Nico was exhausted.

“You okay sunshine?” Will asked as they left the bowling alley and slid into Argus’ car.

“Just tired.”

“Shall we take a nap? It’s probably going to take a while to get back home, rush hour isn’t too far off, we’ll probably get caught in it.”

“We? You’ll take a nap too?”

“Yeah.”

“All right then.”

Will opened his arms to his boyfriend and Nico gently curled up against the son of Apollo, relishing in the warmth he radiated. He rested his head on Will’s chest, and Will wrapped his arms around Nico, enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend curled up with him.

“Comfortable?” Will asked gently as he brushed some stray hairs out of Nico’s face.

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

Will gently rested his head against Nico’s and closed his eyes, and it didn’t take too long before the two drifted off to sleep together.

Will woke to the sound of a disposable camera snap, and he sighed, snuggling closer to Nico. He knew exactly who had taken the photo, Kayla kept loads of them around and got them printed when she went into the city.

“Will, Nico, get up.”

“No.” Will groaned, snuggling closer to his boyfriend.

Kayla’s call hadn’t roused Nico in the slightest.

“Yes, come on. We let you sleep an extra hour, but dinner’s about to start. You’ve been back at camp ages, but Argus didn’t want to wake you guys.”

Will groaned, lifting his head to glare at his sister.

“Fine. Meet you at dinner in a second.”

“Great.” She beamed, before skipping off towards the dining pavilion.

“Nico, sweetheart, it’s time to wake up.”

Nico mumbled under his breath, but made no attempt to move.

“Come on sunshine, it’s dinner.”

Nico whined.

It took another couple of minutes before Nico finally opened his eyes so he could glare sleepily at his boyfriend.

“Do we have to get up?”

“Afraid so, we need to eat another healthy meal. On the upside though, we’re having a movie night after this. We can snuggle and fall asleep then.”

Nico seemed to deliberate for a moment before he nodded.

“Fine.”

“Great.”

It took them another minute or two to get out of the car, but once they did, they walked hand in hand towards the dining hall where they quickly grabbed some food, sacrificed some, before taking their seats at the Apollo table.

Dinner was pleasant, and the two were quickly swept up into conversations about their day and whether Nico had enjoyed it, which he had assured them he had while smiling adoringly at Will, although he’d deny it if anyone ever suggested it.

As dinner ended, Kayla and Austin shared a quick look.

“Wait here a second Nico, okay?”

Will and Nico looked at each for a minute before nodding, allowing Kayla and Austin to hurry off towards the kitchen together.

“What do you think they’re doing?”

Will shrugged, and the two turned to watch as most of the other campers left the hall saying they’d see them at the Apollo cabin in around fifteen minutes after they’d changed into their pyjamas.

Finally, Austin and Kayla returned, and Nico’s mouth dropped open as he saw what Austin was carefully holding in his hands.

“Is that-?”

“Torta alla panna birthday cake, yeah. We found the recipe online and made it for you this afternoon.” Kayla told him.

Nico opened his mouth before snapping it shut again.

“Nico?” Austin enquired.

“Thank you.”

The two younger Apollo children grinned.

“We’re glad you like it. We were going to put candles on it, but we didn’t want to draw attention to it too much if people were still in here.”

Nico stood quickly once Austin placed the cake down, and he hugged the two other children of Apollo who quickly hugged him back tightly.

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

“No problem.”

After a few moments of dithering Nico cut the cake, handing each of them a slice before getting one of the nymphs to wrap up the rest for them to have another day so they could head to the Apollo cabin for movies.

Nico made a quick stop at the Hades cabin to get changed into some warm pyjamas before joining them, where he immediately curled up with Will, leaning against the wall so they could see the TV.

After a few minutes Harley, Nyssa, Valentina, Connor, Cecil and Miranda joined them, and Austin queued Tangled for the first movie at Will’s excited insistence. Everyone had agreed, although they’d be watching Lilo and Stitch after, and then Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as Kayla claimed it was a tragedy that Nico hadn’t seen the series and intended to fix that over the following weeks.

Nico really enjoyed Tangled, plus the happiness Will had radiated while watching it had made it so much better. He’d mouthed the words alone with most of the movie, and Nico had ended up watching his ‘significant annoyance’ more than he’d watched the actual movie.

Unfortunately for Kayla however, by part way through Lilo and Stitch, Nico and Will were curled up tightly together under Will’s blankets fast asleep.

Kayla didn’t mind however, instead she smiled, turned the TV down slightly so the two wouldn’t wake up as the films continued. She could show Nico the first Harry Potter film another time.

PJOHOOTOA.

Nico woke early the next morning, eyes blearly and throat dry. He groaned slightly, shifting in Will’s arms.

“Morning sweetheart.”

Carefully opening his eyes, he smiled blearily through sleep filled eyes at his boyfriend.

“Morning sunshine.”

“Ready to get up yeet Neeks?”

Nico buried his face into Will’s chest for a few seconds before he nodded.

It was clearly still early as the two got out of bed, everyone else in the cabin was still sleeping. It seemed as if most of the people who’d watched movies the night before in the Apollo cabin had decided to just stay over. 

Will quickly grabbed some clothes before leaving the cabin in his pyjamas, making his way to the Hades cabin so the two could get ready for the day.

At Will’s insistence Nico took the first shower, returning to the room fully dressed for the day with hair wet and fresh breath.

As Will showered Nico patted down his bed to make sure it was clean, despite the fact he hadn’t slept in it the night before. Once he approved of how unrumpled the sheets were and his clothes from the night before were in the wash, he milled around his cabin making sure everything was where it should be before he sat down on his chair, flicking through his sketchbook deciding if he wanted to draw anything.

Finally deciding what he wanted to draw, he wrote it carefully on the corner of the page so he could get back to it when he was alone, and began a rough outline while he waited for Will to finish.

Once Will was finally done, the two slipped off for an early breakfast, walking hand in hand and enjoying each other's company.

The day before had been one of the best days of Nico’s life, and the peaceful morning and the comfortable silence between the two demigods really allowed him to appreciate it.

Nico was sure he’d never have a better birthday.

FIVE

Will smiled to himself as he sat on the sofa in his and Nico’s flat in New Rome. His eyes drifted around the room landing gently on the drawing of Nico and Will ice skating which Nico had done years before. When Nico had first presented it to him, Will wasn’t ashamed to admit, he cried. The drawing was beautiful and thoughtful, and the best gift Will had ever received. Now it took pride of place on their mantle where everyone could see it. Nico blushed everytime a new person came to their apartment and complimented it.

“Will?” Nico’s voice sounded from their bedroom.

“What’s up baby?”

“What exactly should I be wearing?”

“Whatever you want sweetheart.”

Nico’s slightly disgruntled face appeared from behind their bedroom door, and he ran his eyes over Will’s outfit.

“Whatever I want doesn’t help. Where are we going?”

“It’s a birthday surprise.”

Nico pouted, but Will knew his boyfriend was excited. Ever since the first birthday Nico had celebrated, the first one Will had spent with the son of Hades, Nico had enjoyed his birthdays. No matter what Will always made sure he had the day to spend with his boyfriend, he never wanted him to be alone, even if it meant skipping a day of college which was what he was technically doing.

It was his final year though, and he knew all the information he was learning, so he wasn’t too worried.

Nico was also taking a day off from studying. Two and a half years prior Nico had decided he wanted to work on getting his high school diploma online and Will had been extremely proud of him. He’d never pushed the son of Hades to get his diploma, but Will had been extremely proud when he’d decided he wanted to.

While doing his diploma, the son of Hades was also working at the coffee shop down the road from their apartment, not that they really needed the money. Hades had paid for their apartment without their knowledge when they’d first moved in as an eighteenth birthday gift for Nico three years prior. Will was paid for the placement he did at college, so as far as most college students went, they were completely fine. Plus, if Nico had to do a job for his Father, Hades would compensate him. Overall, it was an extremely comfortable set up.

So comfortable that it led to Will’s plan.

He loved Nico more than he loved anything in the entire world, and he knew Nico loved him just as much, and over the years he’d become completely comfortable in their relationship, he was long past struggling with the term boyfriend. They were happy.

“I’ll wear a shirt and jeans then? Is that good enough?”

“Anything would be fine sweetheart, you look good in everything.”

Nico blushed, but disappeared behind the door once more.

Finally the son of Hades reappeared dressed in snug black jeans and a black shirt. In Will’s opinion he looked gorgeous.

“Is this okay?” He asked, fiddling with the button on his sleeve slightly.

It wasn’t a formal shirt, but slightly fancier than the boy usually wore, not that Will minded.

Will stood up, walking carefully towards his boyfriend and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“You look gorgeous sweetheart.” He muttered into his boyfriend’s ear.

Nico smiled up at him before he pulled his boyfriend towards him so they were flush together as their lips connected passionately. Will grinned into the kiss as Nico tried to pull him impossibly closer.

“You look good too.” Nico muttered against Will’s lips after a minute or two.

“Good.” Will murmured before pulling away making Nico whine slightly.

“Will.” Nico groaned.

“Sorry sweetheart, but we have to get ready and go.”

“Fine.”

Will grinned.

“Do we still have to go to the birthday meal at Annabeth and Percy’s tonight?” Nico asked as he straightened his shirt which had crumpled slightly during their kissing.

“We do. I promised Hazel we’d go.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but Will knew he didn’t really mean it. In the past couple of years Nico had actually become friends with Percy, he’d been one of Percy’s groomsmen along with Grover and Tyson a year and half before at Annabeth and Percy’s wedding. He also didn’t mind Frank and Leo as much as he had previously, plus he had an active friendship with Calypso as they both sometimes felt out of place in the twenty first century. 

“Fine.”

“It’ll be fine sweetheart, trust me. They’re your friends.”

“I know, I know.”

“Plus, we have all afternoon for just us. We don’t need to be there until half six.”

Nico kissed Will softly on the lips.

“Good.”

“Mmm. Plus you’ll have to do presents at Annabeth’s too, I dropped off part of your gift there.”

“Part of it?”

“You’ll see.” Will grinned, poking Nico on the nose.

“You’re annoying.” Nico complained.

“And yet you love me.”

“Yeah, I really really do.” He sighed.

Will couldn’t help the rush of affection that ran through him, so he kissed Nico again before pulling back.

“We really do need to go though.”

“Fine.”

After grabbing his keys, coat and sword Nico joined Will in the living room again and grabbed his hand as they made their way out of the apartment. Will insisted on driving their car despite Nico claiming he could just get Jules-Albert to do it.

He drove them into San Fransisco and led them to Nico’s favourite cafe where they ordered sandwiches and drinks and Will began to feel slightly nervous but he tried to keep the energy going and despite a slight frown from Nico, he seemed to manage it.

After they’d eaten, the two drove down to the recreational area near San Fransisco bridge to walk. Gladly it was quiet and the two walked hand in hand strolling through the trees.

“How’s your twenty first birthday so far?” Will asked as he squeezed his boyfriend’s hand in his own.

“It’s been good. Are you okay though Will? You seem nervous.”

Will paused for a second turning to look at his boyfriend. Nico was biting his lip as he stared at his boyfriend, eyebrows furrowed. Will carefully placed a reassuring hand on Nico’s cheek, and the smaller man leant into Will’s warm touch.

“I’m fine, I promise.”

“Are you sure? If you want to go home we can, I won’t mind.”

“Sweetheart, trust me, I’m okay.”

Nico’s eyes ran over his boyfriend for a second before he sighed and nodded.

“As long as you’re sure.”

“I am. I promise you.”

“All right.”

The two continued walking, and Will made sure to keep the tone light and conversation happy, but as they got closer to their final destination, Will could barely contain the mixture of nervousness and excitement coursing through his veins.

Finally, they reached the grassy embankment looking over the golden gate bridge and the water, and Will pulled out a foldable picnic blanket from his pocket and he unfurled it carefully and spread it out.

“Lay down with me sweetheart?”

“Of course.”

Will laid down first, offering an arm for Nico which the younger man gladly took, laying against it and snuggling into Will’s chest slightly while they both looked up at the clouds.

“That one looks like a rabbit.” Will pointed out after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Nico looked at his boyfriend for a minute before falling his eyeline to see where he was looking.

“Absolutely no it does not, you big dork.”

“Hey! It so does.”

“It looks like an explosion at absolute best.”

“It’s definitely a rabbit.”

Nico laughed, and a blush spread across Will’s face. The sound of Nico laughing always filled him with so much joy. The first time Will had met the boy after the battle at the camp when Lee Fletcher had died, the boy had been so quiet, so stoic, and the few days he’d hung around the camp Will hadn’t seen him smile once. He hadn’t smiled the summer after either. The first time he’d seen Nico smile was one of the most beautiful moments of his life and his laughter even more so, and Will would go to the ends of the earth, heck the ends of the universe to make Nico laugh.

“Gods you’re beautiful.” Will murmured as he turned to look at his boyfriend.

Nico blushed violently, leaning in closer to his boyfriend.

“You’re not too bad yourself Solace.”

Will placed a gentle finger under Nico’s chin, his eyes flickering to his boyfriend’s lips before Nico closed the gap and they kissed softly for a few moments.

“Do you remember when we came up here the day after we moved up here?” Will said, as he sat up and turned to look out over the bay.

Nico also shifted into a sitting position so he wouldn’t lose the arm around his shoulders. He was enjoying Will’s company too much.

“Yeah, and you tried to persuade me we should get a dog.”

“I still stand by that.”

“We’ll see.” Nico said with a grin, although he knew if Will pushed him on it, he’d cave immediately.

“Do you remember what else I said that day?” Will asked, turning to look at Nico.

Nico didn’t say anything for a moment as he thought back and Will slipped a hand into his pocket, not that Nico noticed.

As Nico finally remembered what Will had said to him, he blushed violently.

“I said I wouldn’t want to spend my life with anyone else but you, and one day I wanted to marry you.” Will said.

Nico looked at Will, his eyes soft.

“And I agreed,” Nico murmured back, “I still do.” 

Will blushed.

After what felt like a lifetime, Will pulled the small box from his pocket and he opened it in front of Nico, whose mouth fell open.

“Will?” He murmured.

“Can I say this?” Will asked gently.

Nico nodded, although Will could already see the answer in his eyes.

“From the moment I first saw you I wanted to make you happy even though I’d never spoken to you. I had a crush on you since I saw you after the battle of Manhattan even though we still hadn’t spoken. I didn’t get a chance to speak to you until the summer after, and my affections for you just grew stronger. I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen years old. Nico, you’re my everything, you’re my other half, my soulmate. I love you more than I knew it was possible for someone to love another human being. I’d do anything for you. I want to always be there for you, no matter what.”

Nico was freely crying, but he didn’t wipe them, he couldn’t take his eyes off Will’s face.

“Nico di Angelo you mean everything to me, will you marry me?”

Immediately Nico launched himself at his boyfriend wrapping his arms around him.

“Yes! Of course you idiot. Of course I’ll marry you.”

Will wrapped his arms tightly around his fiance kissing him soundly. The kiss tasted slightly of salt as Will had joined Nico in crying, but it was perfect. 

For a few minutes the two remained in their own little world kissing soundly before the need to breathe became too much and they pulled back staring intently at each other.

“I love you.” Nico murmured.

“Love you too baby.”

Nico rested his head down on Will’s shoulder, snuggling into the warmth before Will remembered.

“Can I put the ring on you?”

“Yeah.” Nico breathed.

Will carefully pulled the simple gold and silver ring on Nico’s finger before he immediately pulled his fiance back into a kiss which quickly turned passionate.

“Will you be angry if I shadow travel us home? We can pick the car up tomorrow.” Nico murmured against Will’s lips.

“Absolutely not, do it.”

Nico and Will pulled apart just long enough for Will to grab the blanket before Nico pulled him into a shadow.

PJOHOOTOA.

As six o’clock rolled around Nico and Will hurried to get dressed so they could walk to Percy’s. They knew they could have shadow travelled, but their building wasn’t too far away, and the walk was rather pleasant. Will could never truly get over how beautiful New Rome could be in the evening light.

When they arrived just after half six, they were immediately pulled into a hug by Percy before they were led into the living room where Piper, her girlfriend Shel, Leo, Calypso, Hazel, Frank, Kayla, Austin, Cecil, Lou Ellen, Annabeth, Rachel and Meg waited.

“Hey guys!” Will called, an infectious grin across his face.

Various greetings rang out to the son of Apollo before everyone took turns to grab Nico in a hug. A few years prior Nico would have threatened them for such an action, and he still wasn’t too fond of too much touch unless it was from Will, but as he was in such a good mood he let it slide.

“Percy I thought you were only going to invite a few people.” Nico complained good naturedly.

“Nico, it’s your twenty first, and it’s a friday night. I knew I’d never get you to agree to go to a club-”

“Absolutely not.” Nico interrupted.

“Exactly, so this is the alternative.”

Nico turned to look at his fiance for a second, but Will just shrugged, winking at him.

“Fine.”

“Great!”

“Meg, Kayla and Austin are too young to drink.” Nico pointed out after a moment.

“Lighten up Nico.” Will said, nudging him slightly.

Nico looked in surprise at his fiance. He had never expected Will to be okay with them drinking underage, at least not his siblings. He thought as a doctor he’d protest it.

“Fine.”

Annabeth quickly ran off to grab a drink for the pair, and Percy let them know he’d ordered a ton of pizzas that would be there in about half an hour.

The groups quickly broke off into separate conversations, Will and Nico being pulled in by Kayla and Austin to talk about how they’d been doing. Kayla had been training for the olympics, her second turn taking part, and Austin had been touring, so Nico and Will unfortunately didn’t get to see them as much as everyone else.

Nico sipped at the drink Annabeth gave him, a rum and coke she was sure he would like, which he surprisingly did. He wasn’t keen on drinking too much though. He’d lived on the streets for a good couple of years, he knew about addiction, and he knew how harmful it could be, especially if became a crutch because of other issues. He couldn’t help but worry that if he got drunk he’d like it too much. He didn’t want alcohol to become a crutch for him, even the slimmest chance scared him. Plus, he technically wasn’t meant to drink with his anti anxiety medication and his anti-depressants.

Twenty minutes after they arrived, there was a knock on the door, and Percy immediately left to answer it.

“Nico!” He called after a few moments.

Nico frowned but excused himself from the conversation, and his mouth fell open when he saw who was at the door.

“Reyna!”

Immediately the now younger girl wrapped him into a hug, and Nico grumpily realised they were the same height. The last time he’d seen her though, he had been shorter, so he counted it as a definite improvement.

“Hey Nico, happy birthday.”

He smiled at her for a second before he pulled her back into a hug. He’d greatly missed the daughter of Bellona, they didn’t get to see each often with her travelling with the hunters but whenever they did get to see each other, they had a great time.

“I’m so happy to see you. How’ve you been?”

For a few minutes the two chatted before the pizzas arrived, and everyone sat down in the living room together as Annabeth carried them in and Percy brought the plates. 

Nico sat with Reyna on one side of him as he sat nestled into Will on the other, munching happily on pizza.

“Can we tell them?” Will whispered in Nico’s ear after he finished his first slice.

“Yeah.” Nico breathed.

Will turned and pressed a slightly greasy kiss to Nico’s cheek before he turned to face the others in the room.

“Hey guys, I… Nico and I, we have an announcement to make.”

Everyone turned to look at them, and Will grabbed Nico’s hand tight in his own.

“Earlier today I asked Nico to marry me and he said yes.”

The room was silent for just a moment before chaos broke out. Immediately Reyna pulled his hand out of Will’s to see the ring, and just a few moments later Calypso, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel and Austin had rushed to see it too.

“Nice job Will.” Austin said, letting out a slow whistle as he examined the ring on Nico’s finger.

“It’s so nice.” Hazel agreed.

“How did he propose?” Calypso asked.

Nico blushed, as everyone turned to listen.

“I took him to a spot we’ve spent some time at, looking over San Fransisco bay. The day after we moved out here we went there, and I told him I wouldn’t want to spend my life with anyone else. I repeated that today.” Will said, looking down at his fiance as if the son of Hades had created the stars himself.

“That’s so sweet.” Hazel murmured. 

Nico blushed.

For a little while the conversation remained on the engagement and some talk about their future wedding, but as the pizzas were finished off, Kayla, Austin and Hazel leapt up.

“Stay right there.” Hazel commanded.

Nico and Will shared a grin, but Nico did as he was told.

A couple of minutes later Austin returned holding a torta alla panna birthday cake, Kayla by his side, and Hazel held a regular chocolate cake in hers.

“It’s tradition.” Kayla said with a grin as she pointed at the cake.

“Kayla and I made it.” Austin said with a grin.

Nico smiled.

Every year since he’d first spent his birthday with the children of Apollo, Kayla and Austin had in some way given him a cake. One year when they were still at Camp Half-Blood and Nico and Will hadn’t been able to be there for the holidays, they’d tied it to Blackjack in a secure box to get it to him. Two years previously he’d retrieved one from each of them as they hadn’t had a chance to meet up and make one.

“I love it guys.”

The two grinned.

“Hazel, I love yours too.”

“I know brother, I know.”

Nico quickly gave the three hugs before sitting down while Annabeth grabbed knives to cut them so everyone could grab a slice.

After the cake, Nico was made to open a stack of presents, including some art supplies from Percy and Annabeth, a jacket from Hazel and Frank, some records from Austin and a voucher for a tattoo from Will.

“Will, thank you.”

“I know you said you’ve been wanting to get one for a while, so…”

“I love it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nico briefly kissed his fiance making Percy and Leo wolf whistle playfully at the pair.

Finally, once all the gifts were out of the way, Annabeth put some music on, and everyone broke off into groups again.

Just before Nico and Will slipped off to join Reyna, Calypso and Austin in conversation Will stopped, turning Nico to face him and kissed him softly on the lips.

“Have you enjoyed your birthday Nico?”

“More than anything.” He said, before tugging his fiance down into a kiss again.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked please leave a review and leave kudos, they really make my day! :)


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